My New Employee, the Parent of My Child's Bully, Tried to Bully Me at Work — I Taught Her an Unforgettable Lesson
My story is about how karma placed my child's bully right in my hands so I could exact some justice for my traumatized family. It all began with her spreading lies about me to my colleagues. But what she didn't expect was that I'd retaliate most brutally!
Hi everyone, Diana here, and my tale is all about how karma helped me get revenge against a woman whose child bullied my baby boy. The woman ended up losing her job. Let me explain how all this went down.
A sad boy being bullied at school | Source: Pexels
For some background to my tale, I had spent several years living a stressful life when I finally received a promotion last month. The promotion wasn't the only upside because the financial raise was life-changing.
I'm also now working out of a different office that is gloriously much closer to home. The promotion also meant I'd be doing work I care about, and I'd have more time with my family. It was a win-win situation for me all around, and I couldn't be happier!
A man and woman shaking hands in an office | Source: Pexels
This all felt like a dream I had woken up from one day, and I thanked God daily for where I was. Just before I got promoted, the company I work for filled an open role at my new office location. I didn't take part in the hiring process for this person.
Of course, I was shocked when I discovered who it was. They had hired the parent of my child's bully, Tommy. Now, what you need to understand is that my child being bullied was one of the things that caused my family strife for years.
A boy bullying another child at school | Source: Pexels
I am not talking about a few meetings with the principal kind of bullying situation. We almost lost our child because of Tommy! My husband and I ended up taking drastic measures to remedy the situation and protect our son.
We moved our child and their siblings to a different school. Then we sold our home and moved to the other side of the county. You all might think I'm joking, but things were bad! At one point, we had to involve the police!
A couple relocating | Source: Pexels
This resulted in us being granted a restraining order against Tommy. He is now finally facing other legal consequences for his behavior. Both children are still quite young, so I'm still shocked at the cruel and awful things I saw my child go through at the hands of another kid.
My husband and I felt so helpless and out of control. We begged the school and his parents to intervene before involving the authorities. After this long and painful ordeal, our family life finally settled down.
A couple talking to a teacher | Source: Pexels
This new work opportunity felt like a new start for us after the pain and fear we'd gone through. My precious child was finally beginning to heal and get his life and joy back. We're all in therapy as a family and individually to help recover from this.
But my peace of mind was shattered when I discovered my company hired Tommy's mother, Janet. What was worse was that I would be managing her! On my first day of meeting her, she went pale when she saw me! I'm pretty sure I did the same!
Two women reacting in shock after meeting at the office | Source: Midjourney
I know everyone else on my team and have a great working relationship with them. Because I didn't know how to handle having Janet working with me, I avoided talking to her face-to-face. I only communicated with her when I had to, and it was always in writing.
Tired of tiptoeing around her, I confessed my situation to a close colleague, Danny. After confiding in him about what Janet's son did to mine and how we had to uproot our lives, I asked, "What should I do? I'm not quitting and I'm not taking a demotion."
Two colleagues having a serious conversation | Source: Pexels
Danny's eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious? Why didn't you say something sooner!?"
"I didn't want to make a big deal about this unnecessarily. But let's focus on the matter at hand."
Wringing my hands, I questioned, "Should I meet with Janet and human resources (HR) to discuss this and set expectations?"
"I don't know, Diana, this all seems a bit complicated," Danny replied while thinking hard about my situation.
"I know if I go to HR, it will feel like I'm betraying my child and family. But professionally, I know it's an option," I said, mulling things over.
A stressed woman talking to a concerned colleague | Source: Freepik
"I'm sorry you're in this mess," Danny consoled me. "What other options do you think you have?"
"Maybe I ignore it and hope she's so uncomfortable she quits? Or perhaps I could ask HR about offering her a transfer?"
Without waiting for a reply, I continued.
"The thing is, at a certain point in the last year, she behaved as badly as her child did," I explained my conundrum further. "The judge considered including her in the restraining order but was instead issued a warning on the record."
A judge presiding over a case | Source: Freepik
"I've even checked, and the two of us working together isn't a violation of the restraining order," I said.
Before I could decide on what to do, Danny reluctantly replied, "Look, Diana, you need to know something about Janet. Can we talk privately in your office during lunch?"
With my curiosity piqued, I agreed.
When lunchtime came around, I couldn't wait to see Danny. I welcomed him in and asked him to get right to it because this issue had been eating me up for weeks!
A colleague entering a woman's office | Source: Midjourney
"Okay, so you didn't hear this from me, but Janet has been SPREADING LIES about you!"
"What?! What kind of lies? She hasn't even been here that long?" I questioned, feeling dumbfounded.
"She's telling anyone who'll listen that they should stay away from YOU. The woman claims you're toxic and dangerous, and says you slept with her husband and broke up their marriage!"
I was stunned!
A woman reacting in shock | Source: Pexels
I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all! "That's ridiculous!"
"Yep, we all know that because we know the type of person you are. That's why I didn't bother saying anything to you until now," Danny told me.
A woman laughing while talking to her colleague | Source: Freepik
"I was trying to keep my personal life separate from work, and I didn't want to bring that drama here," I explained. "But it's becoming impossible to ignore because it seems Janet is taking my silence as a stepping stone for her to tarnish my image."
"I think she's taking a leaf out of her son's book, or perhaps it's the other way around. But she's bullying YOU indirectly!" Danny pointed out.
A woman talking to her colleagues | Source: Pexels
When he said it like that, a light bulb flickered in my mind! I WAS being bullied like my son! It seemed that kind of behavior ran in the family! I'D HAD ENOUGH! IT WAS TIME TO TEACH JANET A LESSON!
I DECIDED TO TAKE ACTION! I thanked Danny for his honesty and support and told him I'd figure out how to handle this mess once and for all. "Well, good luck!" he said.
A determined-looking woman | Source: Pexels
As much as I hadn't stood by during my son's bullying, I refused to allow it to happen to me! And I wasn't going to sit back for months while she continued spreading lies about me. I decided to attack fire with fire!
I started where I could, in the workplace. I was determined to get to the bottom of how Janet was even hired. My research began with me digging into her employment records. I found out that Janet hadn't met the usual standards for our team.
A woman surprised by what she's seeing on her laptop | Source: Pexels
She hadn't completed her mandatory fingerprinting and background check. This was odd since our company was strict about these requirements. "Something's not right," I muttered to myself as I pored over the documents.
I called Danny over into my office and closed the door before telling him what I had discovered. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking over at my laptop.
"Janet shouldn't have been hired. She never completed her background check," I replied. "I'm going to dig deeper."
"All right, just make sure you cover your bases and don't end up getting fired along with her."
A female showing her male colleague something on her laptop | Source: Pexels
As I continued my investigation, I discovered that Janet had bribed one of our office staff to bypass the fingerprinting process! Furious, I gathered all the evidence and went straight to HR. This time I decided not to involve Danny because I didn't want him to get into any trouble.
After all, he was a good guy and an excellent team player, unlike someone else I knew. "There's something you need to see," I told our HR manager, Linda, as I handed her the documents. Linda's eyes widened as she scanned through the evidence.
"These are serious accusations. We need to address this immediately."
Two women discussing paperwork | Source: Pexels
Linda called Janet into a meeting and laid out the evidence in front of her. I had hidden away in the corridor until Janet went in, and then I snuck over to the closed door and eavesdropped. I had some paperwork with me to pretend like I had stopped to concentrate on something if someone walked by.
"Janet, we discovered that you bribed an employee to bypass the mandatory fingerprinting and background check," Linda said sternly. "This is a serious violation of our policies," I heard the HR woman say.
A no-nonsense woman holding a book while seated | Source: Pexels
I later heard from Linda that Janet's face went pale. "I... I can explain," she stammered.
"You have ten days to complete the fingerprinting process," Linda continued. She ignored Janet's attempts to justify her actions. "If you fail to do so, your employment WILL be terminated."
A woman reacting in shock to paperwork in a binder | Source: Pexels
Linda revealed that Janet nodded meekly before perking up and agreeing to comply. But as the days passed, she missed her appointments and ignored calls from HR. Eventually, she stopped showing up to work altogether!
Finally, the day came when HR had to end her employment. The RELIEF I felt was immense!
"She's gone," Danny said, giving me a reassuring high five. "You did the right thing!"
Happy colleagues | Source: Pexels
"Thanks, Danny," I replied, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. With Janet gone, the atmosphere at work improved dramatically! My team was even more supportive, and I felt more at ease. My family was doing better than ever, and my amazing kiddo was healing and finding joy again!
Colleagues giving each other a high five | Source: Freepik
As I settled into my new role, I hired a new team member, Emily, to replace Janet. She was kind, polite, and a perfect fit for our team. Life was finally falling into place, and I felt a heavy burden lift off my chest!
Two happy women shaking hands | Source: Freepik
If you enjoyed my story, here's another one about a woman who started a new job only to discover that her childhood bully worked there. This time, the bullied woman refused to take the ill-treatment and taught the bully a lesson!
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided "as is," and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.